Jaco Wong, newly named conductor of the Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestra.
California’s Santa Rosa Symphony has appointed Jaco Wong as conductor for the Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestra (SRSYO). Having served as interim conductor for the SRSYO in the fall of 2024, Wong officially began as the youth orchestra’s conductor on January 5, 2025. He will conduct his first concert as the group’s permanent conductor in March and will lead the SRSYO on a tour to Germany and the Netherlands in June. An active educator, Wong will continue to serve as the orchestra director at the Harker School in Saratoga, California; he led that ensemble in performances at Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Center, and Green Music Center. He has served as assistant conductor for the San Francisco Symphony, Oakland Symphony, and Opera Parallèle. Wong holds a Professional Studies Certificate in Orchestral Conducting from San Francisco Conservatory of Music and a double master’s degree in music composition and choral conducting from the University of Southern California. Also a composer, Wong has written works for the San Jose Chamber Orchestra, LA Choral Lab’s GPSenabled Soundwalk, Iris Contemporary Dance Company, Bill T. Jones, Hocket Piano Duo, Lang Lang, and the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra.
